The chairman of Hyundai Motors, one of South Korea's largest companies, has been sentenced to three years’ imprisonment on corruption charges. Chung Mong-Koo was accused of taking about a hundred million dollars from companies associated with Hyundai.
The trial has been closely watched in South Korea, where it has been seen as a test of the court's commitment to tackle corporate corruption. The judge imposed a three-year jail term. He said, “A stiff sentence was necessary to change past business practices and to help South Korea develop into an advanced economy”. But the sentence was still three years short of the six demanded by the prosecution because the judge had taken into account Mr Chung's contributions to the national economy. In the past, the courts have treated similar cases with great leniency but there’s been growing pressure from the government and the public to impose tougher penalties.
Chung Mong-Koo was accused of amassing multi-million dollar slush funds to payoff politicians and government officials. The money was also used to smooth the way for his son to take control of the group. Hyundai Motors is one of South Korea's largest and most successful companies. A spokesman expressed disappointment at the sentence. He said, “The company appealed for leniency; it couldn't manage without the presence of its chairman”.
(BBC News 05 February, 2007 )
A. COMPREHENSION
1-Answer the following questions according to the text :
a-On which charges has the chairman of Hyundai motors been sentenced imprisonment?
b-Why was the sentence three years short of the six demanded by the prosecution?
2-Say whether these statements are true or false.
a-Hyundai is among the biggest companies in South Korea.
b-In the past, courts in South Korea treated similar cases with great severity.
3.What or who do the underlined word refer to in the text?
a) He §2 b) its §3
B. TEXT EXPLORATION :
1. Find in the text words or phrases that are closet in meaning to the following:
to bribe §3 ……… dissatisfaction §3 ….
2. Complete the following table:
verb noun
to..... satisfaction
to associate ................
3-Complete sentence (B) so as to mean the same as sentence (A)
1) a. He said ,“A stiff sentence was necessary to change past business practices .”
b. He said……………………………………..
3).a. Chung Mong-Koo was imprisoned by the court.
b. The court ……………………………………….
.
4.Rewrite the sentences using the prompts given in brackets.
a -Government should find a solution to fight the spread of corruption. (it’s high time)
b - Businessmen and firms didn’t give employees their rights. ( I wish)
c- John is a sincere businessman, so the bank will lend him money to launch his investments. (such ...... that )
5.Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form:
a. If we don’t act now, corruption (to spread) in all institutions.
C) Written expression :
In your opinion what measures should our government take to eradicate corruption and other unethical practices?
The trial has been closely watched in South Korea, where it has been seen as a test of the court's commitment to tackle corporate corruption. The judge imposed a three-year jail term. He said, “A stiff sentence was necessary to change past business practices and to help South Korea develop into an advanced economy”. But the sentence was still three years short of the six demanded by the prosecution because the judge had taken into account Mr Chung's contributions to the national economy. In the past, the courts have treated similar cases with great leniency but there’s been growing pressure from the government and the public to impose tougher penalties.
Chung Mong-Koo was accused of amassing multi-million dollar slush funds to payoff politicians and government officials. The money was also used to smooth the way for his son to take control of the group. Hyundai Motors is one of South Korea's largest and most successful companies. A spokesman expressed disappointment at the sentence. He said, “The company appealed for leniency; it couldn't manage without the presence of its chairman”.
(BBC News 05 February, 2007 )
A. COMPREHENSION
1-Answer the following questions according to the text :
a-On which charges has the chairman of Hyundai motors been sentenced imprisonment?
b-Why was the sentence three years short of the six demanded by the prosecution?
2-Say whether these statements are true or false.
a-Hyundai is among the biggest companies in South Korea.
b-In the past, courts in South Korea treated similar cases with great severity.
3.What or who do the underlined word refer to in the text?
a) He §2 b) its §3
B. TEXT EXPLORATION :
1. Find in the text words or phrases that are closet in meaning to the following:
to bribe §3 ……… dissatisfaction §3 ….
2. Complete the following table:
verb noun
to..... satisfaction
to associate ................
3-Complete sentence (B) so as to mean the same as sentence (A)
1) a. He said ,“A stiff sentence was necessary to change past business practices .”
b. He said……………………………………..
3).a. Chung Mong-Koo was imprisoned by the court.
b. The court ……………………………………….
.
4.Rewrite the sentences using the prompts given in brackets.
a -Government should find a solution to fight the spread of corruption. (it’s high time)
b - Businessmen and firms didn’t give employees their rights. ( I wish)
c- John is a sincere businessman, so the bank will lend him money to launch his investments. (such ...... that )
5.Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form:
a. If we don’t act now, corruption (to spread) in all institutions.
C) Written expression :
In your opinion what measures should our government take to eradicate corruption and other unethical practices?